Homeowner ordered to remove fence from his own land

Summarised from Daily Mail's report · Updated 22 Oct, 06:14 · Archive

A homeowner in West Sussex has been ordered to remove a fence he built on his own property after planners deemed it too 'overbearing' for public footpath users.

Giles Savage, 36, replaced and relocated a fence around his £635,000 home on the East Broyle estate in Chichester, West Sussex, in August 2025, four months after moving in. He believed the existing structure was falling apart and extended it closer to a public footpath, increasing his garden by up to eight metres. He and his wife used climbing plants to cover the new wooden boundary.

In March 2026, Savage applied for retrospective planning permission. Chichester District Council rejected the application two months later, stating the 26ft barrier was too 'overbearing' for users of the nearby public footpath. The council has ordered him to move the fence back to its original position or remove it entirely. The East Broyle Residents Association claimed that allowing the fence would 'harm the character' of the estate. Savage described the planning rules as 'very strange', saying they date back to the 1960s.

Read the report

• Homeowner forced to remove fence from his own land after planners say it is too 'overbearing' for walkers using nearby public footpathGiles Savage shifted the fence closer to a path next to his £635,000 home on the East Broyle estate in Chichester, West Sussex, in August 2025 - four months after moving.Daily Mail · 22 Oct, 00:05

In this story: Giles Savage · Chichester District Council · East Broyle estate · Chichester · West Sussex · East Broyle Residents Association

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